The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the story of a teenager named Junior who decides he cannot stay on the reservation to achieve his dreams. He chooses to attend the nearby public school in Reardon and loses his best friend because of it. He finds himself caught in two worlds, neither of which will readily accept him. He is not white enough for Reardon, and too white for the reservation. Eventually he earns the respect of both, in part because of his accomplishments on the basketball court.
There were a few interesting parts that relate to the classroom in this novel. Junior was a self-hater. Not until he earned the respect of his peers at Reardon did he start to build confidence. Once he made the basketball team and was able to play against his friend Rowdy from the reservation, with a lot of support from his coach and teammates, did he feel good about himself.
There were a couple mentions of classroom behavior in the book. One of Junior's teachers would not believe his explanation of petrified wood until another student agreed with Junior. That student was Gordy, who also helped Junior learn about learning and helped teach him when teachers weren't able to.
I found the reservation life to be stereotypical Native Americans, with many having drinking problems. They were all poor, and there were fights constantly. The one thing that stood out was that I might have students that know some subject better than I do, like Gordy and Junior with their knowledge of petrified wood. It was a nice story about overcoming odds and leaving one's comfort zone, but I don't think it changed my perceptions of my future students, cultural awareness of future students, or have any new insights into teaching. I might recommend this to students for the purpose of nuturing cultural acceptance or perhaps a confidence boost. It wouldn't help too much in a history course, though.
There were a few interesting parts that relate to the classroom in this novel. Junior was a self-hater. Not until he earned the respect of his peers at Reardon did he start to build confidence. Once he made the basketball team and was able to play against his friend Rowdy from the reservation, with a lot of support from his coach and teammates, did he feel good about himself.
There were a couple mentions of classroom behavior in the book. One of Junior's teachers would not believe his explanation of petrified wood until another student agreed with Junior. That student was Gordy, who also helped Junior learn about learning and helped teach him when teachers weren't able to.
I found the reservation life to be stereotypical Native Americans, with many having drinking problems. They were all poor, and there were fights constantly. The one thing that stood out was that I might have students that know some subject better than I do, like Gordy and Junior with their knowledge of petrified wood. It was a nice story about overcoming odds and leaving one's comfort zone, but I don't think it changed my perceptions of my future students, cultural awareness of future students, or have any new insights into teaching. I might recommend this to students for the purpose of nuturing cultural acceptance or perhaps a confidence boost. It wouldn't help too much in a history course, though.